Those Left Behind!
by Divawannabe24
Summary: After Parker Williams suicide, his sister Shawna Skinner tries to help her husband Bubba come to terms with the events of that tragic night. Can she and the department help him or will Sparta lose another beloved police officer?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own the characters from "In The Heat Of The Night." but I do own the character of Shawna Williams Skinner. This is a POV/Flashback piece written after reading "Bloodguilt" written by Wrestlefan4. This story focuses on Capt. Shawna Williams Skinner, Parker Williams little sister and how she tries to help her husband Bubba come to terms with Parker's suicide. Anything in _Italics_ is borrowed from "Bloodguilt." Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,

Karen

"Those Left Behind."

Shawna had gone to the cemetery to place flowers on her brother's grave like she had every Sunday morning for the past six months. She hadn't seen Parker's father, Roy Eversole, since the funeral. She had gone to his place, but it was empty. She assumed he'd left Sparta to deal with his grief but she wanted to know he was OK, she still considered him her father too even though she was adopted. This was always her time to be alone with Parker, to talk to him, and to think about everything they had gone through growing up, like when Parker's parents adopted her after her own parents had died in a car crash.

She smiled every time she thought about the day she arrived in Sparta, Mississippi to surprise Parker with the news she was transferring from Los Angeles to the small Newman County Sheriff's Department. She also smiled as she remembered Parker walking her down the aisle on her wedding day to Capt. Bubba Skinner of the Sparta Police Department. Shawna thought back to the day when she arrived in town and surprised Parker.

"Hello Bubba," Shawna said as she leaned on the desk counter.

"Excuse me, do I know you?"

"Think back about 20 years ago and I was the cheerleading captain."

"Shawna? Is it really you?" he asked as he came around the counter and gave her a big hug. "What brings you to Sparta?"

"Would you believe a job offer?"

"Really? Where?"

"The sheriff's department."

"You're still a cop?"

"Yes. You sound surprised."

"Well, Parker said you were doing really great in Los Angeles."

"Let's just say I need a change of scenery."

"Does Parker know you're here?"

"No. I thought I'd surprise him. Where is he?"

"Follow me." Bubba came back around the counter and walked to Chief Gillespie's office where he and Parker were talking.

"Excuse me, chief."

"Yes Bubba, what is it?"

"Parker has a visitor."

"I have a visitor?"

"Yes. A very beautiful lady is here to see you." He grunted when she nudged him in the back.

"Well, who would be here?"

"She said she flew about two thousand miles to see you."

"The only person who would do that is Shawna." He smiled when Bubba stepped aside.

"It's me big brother," she replied with a warm smile as she gave him a big hug.

"So what brings you to Sparta?"

"I have a job offer with the sheriff's department."

"No way. You're leaving the big city to come to the Deep South?"

"Well, you seem to be doing pretty good down here, and as I already told Bubba, I needed a change of scenery."

"Hello Chief Gillespie."

"Hello Shawna. It's been way too long since you've been back here."

"Yes sir I know. I hope to catch up on lost time if the sheriff will hire me. I'm supposed to meet with Sheriff McComb in about an hour and I thought I'd stop by here to see Parker first. Do you think you can spare him for a little while so he can show me to the sheriff's station?"

"I think we can spare him," Bill replied with a smile.

"Thanks, chief," Parker replied as he grabbed his hat from his desk, "Come on sis, let's get you over to the sheriff's office."

"Thanks, Chief Gillespie. Bubba." She smiled at them as she turned and walked out the door.

"Now there's going be one beautiful addition to the sheriff's office," Bubba said and then began to blush when he noticed Bill was watching him.

"Watch it, Bubba. She's Parker's little sister and he might be a little protective of her."

"She's a big girl chief. I think she can handle herself."

"We'll see, Bubba. We'll see." Suddenly Shawna was brought back to the present when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. She looked up and saw Chief Hampton Forbes standing beside her.

"Shawna, I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's OK, Chief Forbes. I was just lost in thought," she replied as she wiped away the tear she felt at the corner of her eye. "I was thinking about the day I arrived in town."

"I bet you turned a lot of heads that day."

"You can say that," she said with a smile.

"How's Bubba?" he asked as he handed her his handkerchief.

"He's not handling this really well and I'm really worried about him. Every since Parker died, Bubba has withdrawn when he's not on duty. He's drinking every day and he will barely speak to me. Then we he does speak to me, we end up fighting. I think he thinks I blame him for all of this."

"Do you?"

"NO! I knew something was wrong with Parker but he wouldn't talk to me. When he came to Los Angeles to see me, I decided then to come back to Sparta. About seven months ago he started becoming distant with me. He kept telling me he was fine and not to worry about him. Then he goes and does this." Shawna said as she placed her hand on the cold headstone and began to cry.

"Shawna, why don't you let me take you home?"

"No, thank you Chief Forbes," she said as she wiped the tears away. "I have to be at work in a little while. I want to know why he did this. I want to know what made Parker decide to pull his service weapon and take his own life instead of talking to someone. The only one who really knows why this happened is Bubba and he won't talk to me or any one else. He even refused to see the police psychiatrist who flew out from Los Angeles and now he crawls into a bottle when he's off duty."

"Shawna, has Bubba ever,"

"Ever what? Laid a hand on me in anger?"

"Yes."

"No, Hamp, he's never raised a hand to me since all of this happened or even before any of this happened. I just know I'm scared for him." Hampton walked Shawna over to her patrol car and talked to her for another minute or so.

"Shawna is Bubba home now?"

"He was when I left. He was passed out on the sofa. I'd say he's still there. Why?"

"I'd like to stop by and talk to him if you don't mind."

"Be my guest but let me warn you, he might not be real friendly."

"I think I can handle him."

"Good luck." Shawna and Hampton parted ways, she heading towards the station and him towards her house to see his captain.

Meanwhile, back at Bubba's house, he was passed out on the sofa and still having the same nightmare which had haunted him for the last six months. He and Parker were in the station talking on what seemed like the muggiest night of the summer. He kept going back to the final few moments of their conversation.

"_Parker Williams you ain't one of those.."_

"_Who are you to tell me what I am and what I'm not? I shouldn't have said anything."_

"_You're a cop, you're a Vietnam Vet for the love of -"_

"_And I'm 'one of those' types!"_

"_Parker, listen you need to calm down. How 'bout I go to the break room and get us a soda pop. Maybe see if there's something to eat. Then we can..figure this out. Ok?"_

"_OK," came the soft response and the pitiful look on his tear streaked face._

_Bubba left him for a few seconds but that was all it took. The shot rang through the station causing Bubba to drop the bottles of soda. He raced back towards the squad room, weapon raised and ready, but he saw no one._

"_Parker! Parker!" A groan was the only answer he got. "NO! Hell no." I knew he was dead from the amount of blood pouring out of the wound. He slipped his arm under his neck to move him, he didn't know why but he did. He finally managed to get to the radio to call for help. _

Suddenly, Bubba was hearing the doorbell ring and someone calling his name. It took him a minute to realize someone was at the front door. He woke up with the same cold sweat he always had after reliving the horrible night when his friend and co-worker killed himself. Bubba finally made it to the door and opened it to see his boss standing there.

"Chief Forbes, what brings you by here?" he asked as he squinted from the bright sunlight.

"You do Capt. Skinner."

"Come in," Bubba offered as he stepped aside. Hampton followed him into the living room. "Would you like a cup of coffee? I think Shawna made a pot before she left for work.

"Thank you. Bubba I want to know how you're doing."

"What do you mean how am I doing?"

"Well, you look like hell."

"Well, thank you Chief Forbes. Let me guess, Shawna put you up coming here to check on me. She just needs to mind her own business," Bubba replied angrily.

"Bubba you are her business. She's worried about you."

"Well, she doesn't need to be. Look Chief Forbes, I'm fine."

"Really? You don't look fine to me Bubba. Look at you, you're sweating and it's winter, you look like you slept in your clothes, drinking while off duty."

"That's right, Chief, I'm OFF duty. So I can do what ever the hell I want to do."

"Not when it threatens to interfere with your job and your family."

"You don't get it do you. I walked away from Parker the night he died. I walked away from him for one minute. ONE FREAKING MINUTE! Don't you think Shawna blames me for Parker's death?"

"She says she doesn't blame you."

"She does. I see it in her eyes every time she looks at me."

"You're wrong, Bubba." They both jumped when they heard Shawna's voice.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own the characters from "In The Heat Of The Night." but I do own the character of Shawna Williams Skinner. This is a POV/Flashback piece written after reading "Bloodguilt" written by Wrestlefan4. This story focuses on Capt. Shawna Williams Skinner, Parker Williams little sister and how she tries to help her husband Bubba come to terms with Parker's suicide. Anything in _Italics_ is borrowed from "Bloodguilt." Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,

Karen

* * *

"Those Left Behind!"

Chapter 2

"You don't get it do you? I walked away from Parker the night he died. I walked away from him for one minute. ONE FREAKING MINUTE!! Don't you think Shawna blames me for Parker's death?"

"She says she doesn't blame you."

"She does. I see it in her eyes every time she looks at me."

"You're wrong, Bubba." They both jumped when they heard Shawna's voice.

* * *

"Shawna, what are you doing here and what in the hell have you been telling Chief Forbes about us?" Bubba asked angrily.

"I live here, remember? I forgot my sunglasses and cell phone. And I haven't told Chief Forbes ANYTHING he doesn't already know," she came back at him in an angrier tone. Suddenly her radio came to life startling all three of them.

"Attention, any unit in the vicinity of Jackson Lane and Millers Crossing, report of shots fired at Thompson's Market. Suspects are in a late model green Ford pick-up, two males in their late 20's to early 30's. Be advised suspects are armed and dangerous."

"Dispatch, this is Capt. Williams," both men noticed she used her maiden name, "I am about five miles from the scene. Advise all units to approach with caution." She started out the door when Bubba stopped her.

"Shawna."

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

"Don't worry about me. I have to go." She turned and ran out the door to her patrol car. Even though Bubba was angry for what he thought Shawna had said to Chief Forbes, he didn't want to see his wife get hurt because she had something else on her mind. Shawna had been headed toward the scene when the green pick-up passed her at a high rate of speed. She made a U-turn, flipped on the lights and siren, and headed off after the truck. "Dispatch, this is Capt. Williams, I have the suspect vehicle in sight and they are heading towards the county line." Suddenly shots rang out. "I have shots fired. Repeat, shots fired. All units approach with caution." Bubba and Hamp were listening to the scanner as all of this was unfolding.

"This is Jamison and I'm about two miles in front of you. We have the road and the ramp to the interstate blocked."

"10-4, Jamison."

"I hear your sirens, Shawna." Shawna could see the flashing lights of the other police units and suddenly the truck in front of her stopped. She slammed on her brakes and then got on the loud speaker of the patrol car.

"This is the police. We have you surrounded. Step out of the vehicle with your hands up." She waited and made the same order again. The guys in the truck knew they had nothing to lose and they were determined not to go to jail. They turned the truck around and headed straight for Shawna's patrol car.

"Shawna get out of the way!" Jamison ordered over the radio. She wasn't giving them any room and she was hit in the shoulder as a bullet came through the windshield, but she also made sure they didn't get away when her patrol car hit the pick-up truck head on. Her airbag deployed and the passenger in the truck was thrown from the vehicle.

"Dee, we need a couple of ambulances out here at the on ramp to the interstate. Tell them to step on it. Shawna just stopped the get away vehicle with her patrol car."

"She did what?" Dee asked over the radio.

"You heard me, she hit them head on." Lonnie, Luke Everett and Randy Goode all raced over to the vehicles to check on everyone. Randy and Luke who were with the Sparta Police were checking on the two men in the truck. Lonnie raced over to Shawna's patrol car.

"These two are unconscious," Everett said as he finished checking his person.

"Shawna, can you hear me? Shawna, it's Lonnie. Can you hear me?"

"MM, yeah, I can hear you so you can stop shouting at me," she said with sort of a groggy voice. "Lonnie, I feel like hell," she said as she started to move. "OW! OW!"

"Look, just relax, we have ambulances on the way. They will get you out of here and try to figure out how much damage you've done to your body. I'll call Bubba when we get you to the hospital."

"Don't bother. He's not worried about me." Little did she know he had heard the whole pursuit on the radio and was headed to the hospital with Hampton.

"You know better then to talk that way. Bubba cares about you."

"Cared," she corrected, "he cared about me. Listen, I really don't want to have this conversation right now. My shoulder hurts like hell and I have a major headache."

"What you have is a concussion and a bullet in the shoulder."

"Really? You're a great detective Jamison," she said with a grin. "Just help get me out of this car," she told him as she started to move and he heard the sirens of the approaching ambulances.

"Hey, you don't need to be moving, at least not until the paramedics get here."

"I'm ok, Lonnie," she said just as the first ambulance pulled in behind her cruiser.

"No you're not ok."

"Jamison, please just stop worrying about me," she said as she slowly climbed out of her patrol car, grimacing from the pain radiating through her shoulder and the pounding in her head. She stood leaning against the car and then suddenly her world started to go black when Jamison caught her before she hit the ground.

"Well, someone needs to worry about you," he told her as he picked her up and laid her on the gurney. "Can you two handle this scene? I'm going to ride to the hospital with Shawna." Lonnie asked the other two officers.

"Sure thing, Lt. Jamison," Randy said as they began to load the two other victims of the accident into the ambulances.

"You're going to stay here and finish your job," Shawna told Jamison as she caught him by the arm. "Lonnie, you're a police officer and right now you're the officer in charge of this scene."

"Shawna, I'm going to the hospital with you. End of discussion."

"Fine. Right now I'm in too much pain to deal with all of this. I just want to get some sleep."

"Shawna, we need you to stay awake until we get to the hospital," one of the paramedics told her as they started to load her into the ambulance.

"You guys are mean."

"Well, we just want you to stay awake. You know you're not supposed to go to sleep when you have a concussion," Paramedic Jacob Andrews told her as he started taking her vitals.

"Your day is coming, Jacob."

"I know Shawna, you're so mean," he told her with a wink as he was trying to take her mind of the pain in her shoulder.

"Nice move Jacob. Get me to think of something other than my shoulder."

"Something we all learned from you. Remember when you worked with all the emergency personnel two years ago, you drilled it into our heads to help the victims to get their minds off their pain."

"He's right, Shawna," Lonnie interjected, "I still remember some of the grumbling."

"And I think the loudest was from Bubba." His name was out of her mouth before she knew it and both men saw the tear fall from the corner or her eye as she turned her head away from them. Lonnie took her hand and gently squeezed it letting her know she had a friend with her. She felt the ambulance slow and then start to back up.

"OK, Shawna, we're here," Jacob said as the doors opened. They wheeled her into the emergency room and she could feel someone staring at her, in her heart she hoped it was Bubba but she couldn't bring herself to turn and look. Bubba wasn't surprised when Shawna never turned to look his way, after all he'd turned away from her six months ago on the night Parker died.


	3. Chapter 3

"Those Left Behind!"

Chapter 3

Bubba knew the reason Shawna didn't turn to look at him when she was brought into the Emergency Room and he also knew his reason for not just going over to be by her side, he walked away from her six months ago. He knew deep down he'd have to talk to her about what happened that night at the station and hope he could regain her confidence and win her love back.

"Bubba, why didn't you let her know you were here?" Lonnie asked while walking over to his friend and shoving him against the wall.

"Back off Jamison," Hampton said stepping between the two men.

"He's hurting the one person who really cares about him and he doesn't give a damn about what she's going through."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about Jamison," Bubba shouted angrily as he took a swing at his friend, which he missed.

"Now you two hold it right there," Sheriff Bill Gillespie told his two former officers, "let's take this to the doctor's lounge." They stood there glaring at each other when the sheriff walked up to both of them and pointed a finger at each of them and sternly ordered again, "I said let's take this to the doctor's lounge." Bubba walked through the door first, closely followed by Lonnie, the sheriff and then Chief Forbes. Once they walked into the lounge, Bubba turned and took another swing at Lonnie connecting with a swift right hook. Lonnie came back swinging and hit Bubba with a left upper cut.

"Now you two stop this nonsense right this minute!" Bill shouted at the two men as he grabbed Bubba and Hampton grabbed Jamison and pulled them apart.

"That's enough you two," Hampton told both men as he and Bill stepped between the two of them.

"He doesn't give a damn about Shawna," Lonnie stated as he jerked his arm away from Hampton and turned toward the window.

"Jamison, I told you to shut the hell up. You have no idea what's going on between Shawna and me," Bubba said as he turned away from the men and slammed his fist into the wall.

"Feel better?" Bill asked as Bubba shook his hand and wiggled his fingers.

"It was better than beating the daylights out of Lonnie."

"I've have it with you Bubba. Your wife is upstairs in surgery and you didn't even have the decency to walk over to see her before she went up. Instead, you walked away from her again like you did almost six months ago, turning your back on the most important person you have in your life right now. Do you even remember your wedding vows with Shawna or did you throw those out too the night Parker died?" Bubba looked Jamison square in the face and knew what he was saying was the truth. He had turned his back on Shawna.

"Jamison, that's enough," Bill told the young man using a voice which was both authoritative and fatherly. Jamison looked at his former boss and then walked out of the lounge without saying another word.

"Now Bubba what's going on between you and Lonnie?" Hampton asked his captain.

"You heard him, Hamp. He's trying to say I don't care about Shawna anymore."

"Well, do you?" Bill asked.

"What the hell kind of question is that, Sheriff?" he asked as he gave Bill an angry look.

"It's an honest one, Bubba. Lonnie and everyone else can see what's going on between you and Shawna, but I don't think you see what you've done to Shawna."

"What exactly have I done to her?"

"Bubba calm down. Bill is just trying to get you to see what everyone else sees," Hampton said as he took a seat across from him.

"What everyone else sees is a woman who says she doesn't blame me for Parker's death, but deep down inside she does. What everyone doesn't see is the woman who looks at me with her beautiful brown eyes and blames me for what happened. She blames me every time she looks at me. And because of what happened that fateful night in June, I've probably lost the only woman I've ever really cared about."

"Bubba, I was at your house when Shawna walked in on the conversation we were having and she told you she doesn't blame you for Parker's death," Hampton said as he placed his hand on Bubba's shoulder.

"He's right Bubba, she doesn't blame you," Bill said as he took a seat beside his friend, "she blames herself. And it's not blame you see in her eyes, it's worry. She's worried about what you might do to yourself because of the blame you're placing on yourself."

"What do you mean she blames herself? She has nothing to feel guilty about," Bubba told the two men as he rubbed a hand across his face to try and calm himself down.

"Don't you understand? She thinks she should've realized something was going on with Parker. I mean she came back to Sparta after Parker went to Los Angeles because she felt something was bothering him," Bill said.

"But she never said a word about why she came back," Bubba said with hurt in his eyes.

"Think about it for a minute, she gave up the big city where she was very well respected to come back here. She had to prove herself all over again but this time in a small community. She knew she had the whole county watching every move she made while wearing that sheriff's uniform," Bill said while getting a cup of coffee.

"He's right Bubba. When I saw Shawna today at the cemetery, she mentioned Parker's visit to Los Angeles and she also said she noticed about seven months ago Parker started to distance himself from her," Hampton told his captain.

"She never said anything to me about Parker or why she came back to Sparta. She always said she came back because she was tired of the big city."

"How long did she live in Los Angeles?" Hampton asked.

"She'd been there for over 20 years. She was sixteen when she moved out there. Parker and I flew out there right before he went to Vietnam to try to talk her into moving back here to Sparta. She said she wanted to spread her wings and fly."

"Well, I guess she did fly," Hampton said with a smile. "Anyone who had lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years and became a successful police officer definitely knew how to fly."

"Shawna loved the big city," Bill said with a smile. "She would call the station once Parker came home and he'd always tell us what she did, arrests she made, and he was so proud every time she was promoted."

"When was the last time she came for a visit before she moved back?" Hampton asked.

"She came for a visit about ten years ago when she made sergeant. She knew Parker couldn't get away to come to LA so she flew down here to see him. She was all smiles and she seemed so grown up even though she was only twenty-five or twenty-six," Bubba answered.

"Well, for a lot of people that is grown up," Hampton told him.

"You seemed really interested in her then as I recall," Bill said.

"I was just trying to see what she liked so much about LA."

"Bubba, I know you blame yourself for Parker's death but you have to let it go. No one will ever know why Parker felt like he had to do what he did except for Parker. You have a wife upstairs in surgery fighting for her life and you need to be there when she wakes up. You need to let her know you still care about her. If you still care about her," Hampton told the big man.

"Of course I still care about her, she's my wife. For the moment any way," Bubba said as he wiped the tear away which was starting to fall done his cheek.

"Then when she comes out of surgery, you need to talk to her. Let her know you still care about her," Bill said just as his wife, Harriet DeLong and a couple of the other officers from the Sparta Police Department arrived.

"How's Shawna doing?" Harriet asked.

"She's still in surgery," Bill told everyone.

"Bubba, how are you doing?" Dee Shepherd asked as she handed him a cup of coffee they brought to the men.

"I'm doing OK, Dee."

"Listen, Shawna's tough. She's going to pull through this. You just have to stay strong for her."

"I'm trying, Dee, I'm trying." It had been over an hour since Shawna was taken into surgery and Bubba was getting worried. "What's taking them so long? It should be a simple surgery. All we heard on the radio was she was shot in the shoulder."

"Try and relax Bubba. You know how the doctors are. They want to make sure the bullet didn't knick an artery or there aren't any fragments in the wound," Dee said as she took a seat.

"Dee's right Bubba," Harriet said as she walked over to the window where he was standing.

"I should've let her know I was here before she went into surgery. What if she?"

"Don't think like that. You have to think positive thoughts," Harriet said just as the doctor walked into the room.


End file.
